In February 2012 President Obama signed the Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act of 2012, which authorized the allocation of the D-Block for the purpose of building out an interoperable public safety communications network. The development of this network is moving forward and there are opportunities for ICMA members to both provide information on local governance and implementation strategies and receive information on the planned timeline for the development of the network. 

Below are two items of interest:  a request for information published by NTIA and an announcement for an informational webinar led by NLC. Click here for more information and background on the D-Block. 

1. The National Telecommunications & Information Agency (NTIA) has published a request for comments on the development of the state and local implementation grant program for the network. Questions asked by the agency cover everything from planning, consultation with NTIA, and determining suitability of existing equipment. Background information, instructions, and a full list of possible questions for comment can be found here. It's quite comprehensive but this is a very important part of the development of the network. Comments are due to NTIA by June 15, 2012.

2. The National League of Cities will be leading a free webinar, cohosted by ICMA, “Building a Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network: What Local Leaders Need to Know," to discuss the timeline of implementation of the new network. The free webinar will be held on June 6 at 2:00pm (Eastern). Register for the webinar.